What I Ate and What I Learned, or There Was Butter (kind of)

In order, starting from about 7:30 AM:

• salted caramel, chocolate graham cracker, peanut caramel. First two are outstanding, last is just OK. 

• one small and one large coffee with milk and sugar

• 2.5 Pillsbury Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits: one with butter, one with butter and melted cheddar cheese, half with butter and honey. The cheese one takes it, amazing. 

• stack of pancakes [from mix] with butter and syrup. I'm slowed down at this point, thus the decision to make them at home rather than going out. Is ruled that mix pancakes are in no way as good as out pancakes. 

• second large coffee with milk and sugar, 3 more chocolate grahams, more salted caramels.

• Chinese food lunch: General Tso's shrimp, shared scallion pancakes, shared crispy dumplings, white rice. I give my friend the rest of the chocolate grahams and the peanut caramels. 

• Cape Cod Buttermilk Ranch potato chips and 2 Diet Cokes. Never had these before, good stuff. 

• reheated biscuit with melted mozzarella cheese

• big plate of spaghetti with red sauce and melted mozzarella

• remainder of the salted caramels

Curtain. 

Gluttony is a sin--purposeful gluttony is I don't even know what--and so there's has to be lessons learned. First, I don't actually have a multi-chambered cow stomach; I got full and needed breaks throughout the day. It was a chore finishing that plate of spaghetti and yet i felt like I was on a mission to do so. Which brings me to: Second, the fact that i won't actually eat the house down even if I'm allowed to--my actual desires turn out to be more moderate than my fantasy desires. Humbling but true. And while I'm coming to terms with my foibles, full disclosure: It wasn't real butter. It was Smart Balance. Oh, the humanity!

Lastly, I wouldn't do it again. I didn't enjoy the extremity of the off/on, or feeling like I had to eat a huge amount just because the window was open. I felt overstuffed by the end of the day and slept like crap, I'm still now trying to get my physical bearings back. It was a worthwhile experiment but I'd like to find more middle ground with my food freedoms from here, get more comfortable with moderation. A smart balance, if you will. Stay tuned.